GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

 SESSION 2011

H                                                                                                                                                    1

HOUSE BILL 1021

Short Title:        Justice Reinvestment Clarifications.		(Public)
Sponsors:	Representative Stam (Primary Sponsor). For a complete list of Sponsors, see Bill Information on the NCGA Web Site.
Referred to:	Judiciary Subcommittee B.

May 22, 2012

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT to clarify certain provisions of the justice reinvestment act, as recommended by the Joint legislative oversight Committee on Justice and public safety.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.(a)  G.S. 15A-1343.2(e) reads as rewritten:

"(e)       Delegation to Probation Officer in Community Punishment. - Unless the presiding judge specifically finds in the judgment of the court that delegation is not appropriate, the Section of Community Corrections of the Division of Adult Correction of the Department of Public Safety may require an offender sentenced to community punishment to do any of the following:

(1)        Perform up to 20 hours of community service, and pay the fee prescribed by law for this supervision.

(2)        Report to the offender's probation officer on a frequency to be determined by the officer.

(3)        Submit to substance abuse assessment, monitoring or treatment.

(4)        Submit to house arrest with electronic monitoring.

(5)        Submit to a period or periods of confinement in a local confinement facility for a total of no more than six days per month during any three separate months during the period of probation. The six days per month confinement provided for in this subdivision may only be imposed as two-day or three-day consecutive periods. When a defendant is on probation for multiple judgments, confinement periods imposed under this subdivision shall run concurrently and may total no more than six days per month.

(6)        Submit to a curfew which requires the offender to remain in a specified place for a specified period each day and wear a device that permits the offender's compliance with the condition to be monitored electronically.

(7)        Participate in an educational or vocational skills development program, including an evidence-based program.

If the Section imposes any of the above requirements, then it may subsequently reduce or remove those same requirements.

The probation officer may exercise authority delegated to him or her by the court pursuant to subsection (e) of this section after administrative review and approval by a Chief Probation Officer. The offender may file a motion with the court to review the action taken by the probation officer. The offender shall be given notice of the right to seek such a court review. However, the offender shall have no right of review if he or she has signed a written waiver of rights as required by this subsection. The Section may exercise any authority delegated to it under this subsection only if it first determines that the offender has failed to comply with one or more of the conditions of probation imposed by the court or the offender is determined to be high risk based on the results of the risk assessment in G.S. 15A-1343.2, except that the condition at subdivision (5) of this subsection may not be imposed unless the Section determines that the offender failed to comply with one or more of the conditions imposed by the court. Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit the availability of the procedures authorized under G.S. 15A-1345.

The Division shall adopt guidelines and procedures to implement the requirements of this section, which shall include a supervisor's approval prior to exercise of the delegation of authority authorized by this section. Prior to imposing confinement pursuant to subdivision (5) of this subsection, the probationer must first be presented with a violation report, with the alleged violations noted and advised of the right (i) to a hearing before the court on the alleged violation, with the right to present relevant oral and written evidence; (ii) to have counsel at the hearing, and that one will be appointed if the probationer is indigent; (iii) to request witnesses who have relevant information concerning the alleged violations; and (iv) to examine any witnesses or evidence. Upon the signing of a waiver of rights by the probationer, with both the probation officer and a supervisor signing as witnesses, the The probationer may be confined for the period designated on the violation report. report upon the execution of a waiver of rights signed by the probationer and by two officers acting as witnesses. Those two witnesses shall be the probation officer and another officer to be designated by the Chief of the Community Corrections Section in written Division policy."

SECTION 1.(b)  G.S. 15A-1343.2(f) reads as rewritten:

"(f)       Delegation to Probation Officer in Intermediate Punishments. - Unless the presiding judge specifically finds in the judgment of the court that delegation is not appropriate, the Section of Community Corrections of the Division of Adult Correction of the Department of Public Safety may require an offender sentenced to intermediate punishment to do any of the following:

(1)        Perform up to 50 hours of community service, and pay the fee prescribed by law for this supervision.

(2)        Submit to a curfew which requires the offender to remain in a specified place for a specified period each day and wear a device that permits the offender's compliance with the condition to be monitored electronically.

(3)        Submit to substance abuse assessment, monitoring or treatment.

(4)        Participate in an educational or vocational skills development program, including an evidence-based program.

(5)        Submit to satellite-based monitoring pursuant to Part 5 of Article 27A of Chapter 14 of the General Statutes, if the defendant is described by G.S. 14-208.40(a)(2).

(6)        Submit to a period or periods of confinement in a local confinement facility for a total of no more than six days per month during any three separate months during the period of probation. The six days per month confinement provided for in this subdivision may only be imposed as two-day or three-day consecutive periods. When a defendant is on probation for multiple judgments, confinement periods imposed under this subdivision shall run concurrently and may total no more than six days per month.

(7)        Submit to house arrest with electronic monitoring.

(8)        Report to the offender's probation officer on a frequency to be determined by the officer.

If the Section imposes any of the above requirements, then it may subsequently reduce or remove those same requirements.

The probation officer may exercise authority delegated to him or her by the court pursuant to subsection (f) of this section after administrative review and approval by a Chief Probation Officer. The offender may file a motion with the court to review the action taken by the probation officer. The offender shall be given notice of the right to seek such a court review. However, the offender shall have no right of review if he or she has signed a written waiver of rights as required by this subsection. The Section may exercise any authority delegated to it under this subsection only if it first determines that the offender has failed to comply with one or more of the conditions of probation imposed by the court or the offender is determined to be high risk based on the results of the risk assessment in G.S. 15A-1343.2, except that the condition at subdivision (6) of this subsection may not be imposed unless the Section determines that the offender failed to comply with one or more of the conditions imposed by the court. Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit the availability of the procedures authorized under G.S. 15A-1345.

The Division shall adopt guidelines and procedures to implement the requirements of this section, which shall include a supervisor's approval prior to exercise of the delegation of authority authorized by this section. Prior to imposing confinement pursuant to subdivision (6) of this subsection, the probationer must first be presented with a violation report, with the alleged violations noted and advised of the right (i) to a hearing before the court on the alleged violation, with the right to present relevant oral and written evidence; (ii) to have counsel at the hearing, and that one will be appointed if the probationer is indigent; (iii) to request witnesses who have relevant information concerning the alleged violations; and (iv) to examine any witnesses or evidence. Upon the signing of a waiver of rights by the probationer, with both the probation officer and a supervisor signing as witnesses, the The probationer may be confined for the period designated on the violation report. report upon the execution of a waiver of rights signed by the probationer and by two officers acting as witnesses. Those two witnesses shall be the probation officer and another officer to be designated by the Chief of the Community Corrections Section in written Division policy."

SECTION 2.  G.S. 15A-1344 reads as rewritten:

"(d2)    Confinement in Response to Violation. - When a defendant under supervision for a felony conviction has violated a condition of probation other than G.S. 15A-1343(b)(1) or G.S. 15A-1343(b)(3a), the court may impose a 90-day period of confinement for a defendant under supervision for a felony conviction or a period of confinement of up to 90 days for a defendant under supervision for a misdemeanor conviction. confinement. The court may not revoke probation unless the defendant has previously received a total of two periods of confinement under this subsection. A defendant may receive only two periods of confinement under this subsection. If the time remaining on the defendant's maximum imposed sentence on a defendant under supervision for a felony conviction is 90 days or less, then the term of confinement is for the remaining period of the sentence. Confinement under this section shall be credited pursuant to G.S. 15-196.1.

When a defendant under supervision for a misdemeanor conviction has violated a condition of probation other than G.S. 15A-1343(b)(1) or G.S. 15A-1343(b)(3a), the court may impose a period of confinement of up to 90 days. The court may not revoke probation unless the defendant has previously received a total of two periods of confinement under this subsection. A defendant may receive only two periods of confinement under this subsection. Confinement under this section shall be credited pursuant to G.S. 15-196.1.

If a defendant is arrested for violation of a condition of probation and is lawfully confined to await a hearing for the violation, then the judge shall first credit any confinement time spent awaiting the hearing to any confinement imposed under this subsection; any excess time shall be credited to the activated sentence. The period of confinement imposed under this subsection on a defendant who is on probation for multiple offenses shall run concurrently on all cases related to the violation. Confinement shall be immediate unless otherwise specified by the court.

A defendant shall serve any confinement imposed under this subsection in the correctional facility where the defendant would have served an active sentence."

SECTION 3.  G.S. 15A-1343(a1) reads as rewritten:

"(a1)     Community and Intermediate Probation Conditions. - In addition to any conditions a court may be authorized to impose pursuant to G.S. 15A-1343(b1), the court may include any one or more of the following conditions as part of a community or intermediate punishment:

(1)        House arrest with electronic monitoring.

(2)        Perform community service. service and pay the fee prescribed by law for this supervision.

(3)        Submission to a period or periods of confinement in a local confinement facility for a total of no more than six days per month during any three separate months during the period of probation. The six days per month confinement provided for in this subdivision may only be imposed as two-day or three-day consecutive periods. When a defendant is on probation for multiple judgments, confinement periods imposed under this subdivision shall run concurrently and may total no more than six days per month.

(4)        Substance abuse assessment, monitoring, or treatment.

(5)        Participation in an educational or vocational skills development program, including an evidence-based program.

(6)        Submission to satellite-based monitoring, pursuant to Part 5 of Article 27A of Chapter 14 of the General Statutes, if the defendant is described by G.S. 14-208.40(a)(2)."

SECTION 4.  This act is effective when it becomes law.